How Kannur's Aralam has become a safe haven for Maoists

All Maoist members, according to locals, were armed, and the gang distributed posters calling for the takeover of the Aralam farm in Kannur.  The Maoists visited the region five times with weapons including guns between May and August 11 of this year alone.

In Kannur's Aralam grama panchayat, the Maoists are becoming more prevalent. They breach the tight security perimeter, issue a call to arms, gather food supplies they will need for everyday activities, and then retreat into the inner forest. The Maoists visited the region five times with weapons including guns between May and August 11 of this year alone. A group of three or four people used to arrive earlier, but more recently, arrivals of over ten people have begun.

Aralam is a village and Grama Panchayat in Kannur district. The police were informed by locals that all of the gang members were armed, including a machine gun.

On August 11, a group of 13 Maoists visited the Keezhpally Vietnam colony in Aralam panchayat. The gang marched in broad daylight while yelling slogans, handing out posters to villagers. According to the police, they were unable to locate them as they did not obtain the necessary information promptly.

By the UAPA and the Arms Act, the Aralam police have filed a case against them for arranging protests with weapons and promoting Maoist ideology.

Five people have been identified, including C.P. Moidheen, who arrived earlier in the area, and four others: Andhra native Kavita, Vikramgowda, Manoj, and Suresh. The police gathered information from store owners and other people in Vietnam Town to identify the other two gang members. 

On Friday (Aug 11) evening, the group arrived in the town and spent 30 minutes there, purchasing supplies from a store owned by Abdul Rahman.

The group was all decked up in raincoats. After posting signs that stated, "Aralam farm workers are not slaves, they are the owners of the farm, Aralam farms belong to tribal people, and everyone should join to conquer the Aralam farm," the group went back. The CPI Maoist Kabani Area Samiti claimed credit for the poster.